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Saud Anwar
A notable recent example is OCT, a technology highly effective in diagnosing macular degeneration, the top cause of blindness in people over 60. Long after OCT was recognized as a major advance by eye doctors and their associations, insurers insisted it was unproven and refused to pay.
“They typically call anything new ‘experimental’ and dig their heels in for as long as they can to avoid payment,” Emmel said.
So when Emmel and other physicians heard of the trend of insurance companies buying physician practices, they became concerned that insurers’ focus on the bottom line could pose a threat to the quality of patient care.
In CT and the nation, medical practices become another pandemic casualty
Peggy McCarthy, Conn. Health I-Team Writer
Feb. 4, 2021
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From 2016 to 2018, the number of Connecticut physicians affiliated with health systems grew in every part of the state, according to an analysis of “metropolitan statistical areas” by Health Affairs.Bonnie Phillips / C-HITShow MoreShow Less
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After 35 years as an oral surgeon, Dr. Arthur Wilk closed his practice in Clinton following “daunting challenges” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Darien, Dr. Cecile Windels sold her pediatric practice to a hospital health system after enduring significant income losses.
They are among thousands of physicians and other health care professionals across the country who have made coronavirus-prompted career changes such as closing practices, joining larger health systems or retiring early. The reasons for the moves vary, from declines in income due to fewer inp
By Jenna Carlesso, CT Mirror
Connecticut’s health information exchange, close to launching after years of delays and false starts, has signed 25 participants, including two of the state’s largest health systems, its organizers said Tuesday.
Yale New Haven Health and Hartford HealthCare are among the first group of participants, along with ProHealth Physicians, Community Health Network, Community Medical Group, and CT Healthlink, a health information network run by the Connecticut State Medical Society.
State officials and members of the nonprofit board overseeing the new health information exchange, dubbed “Connie,” had hoped to get the system off the ground in mid-2020 and then in the fall, but they have faced delays due in part to the pandemic. A top health official said Tuesday that the launch was “imminent” but did not provide a timetable.
HARTFORD, Connecticut (Hartford Business Journal) Swearing in of lawmakers, organizational committee meetings, and other rituals marking the start of the state legislative session may seem a tad corny or incidental for some, but you can bet your bottom dollar that most lobbyists will be present.
Count DeVaughn Ward among them. A lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project, Ward will be fighting this session to push a recreational pot legalization bill over the finish line, something that’s proven difficult during recent attempts, despite support from Gov. Ned Lamont and public polls.
So Ward would surely seize on an opportunity to be seen, shake some hands, trade intel and chat up powerful committee chairs and newly-elected freshmen lawmakers alike.